Adam Wharton: Rising Star Linked with Manchester City and Liverpool

Manchester City and Liverpool are circling Adam Wharton – and the price is rising fast.

The 22-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder has forced his way onto City’s recruitment radar at a time of major change in their engine room. Having already spent £116 million ($158m) on Elliot Anderson in the latest window, City are weighing up another huge outlay after seeing Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner Rodri swap the Etihad Stadium for Barcelona.

Wharton’s emergence has made that conversation unavoidable. Across two-and-a-half seasons at Selhurst Park, he has gone from promising pick-up to proven winner, collecting FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League medals and playing his way into the England set-up. His trajectory has been steep, and the elite clubs have taken note.

Liverpool have been tracking him for some time. Their interest never seems far from the surface and, if Palace’s resolve is properly tested, the expectation is that the Reds would be right in the thick of any bidding war for one of the Premier League’s most coveted young midfielders.

Ray Houghton, who knows both Anfield and Selhurst Park midfields from the inside, understands exactly why. Speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of Football Betting, the former Republic of Ireland international made no secret of his admiration for Wharton’s profile and mentality.

“I listen to people who I've played with and who've got a good eye for midfielders. I know Jan Molby, he's a big fan of Adam. He spoke about him highly on numerous occasions and I trust Jan's judgment. He knows the game, he knows the position. He feels that there's a real player in there that can do well,” Houghton said.

The respect is not from afar. Houghton recalled a conversation with Wharton after Palace’s win over Liverpool last season.

“I spoke to Adam, actually, when they [Palace] beat Liverpool last season. I was at the game and after the match I was talking to Mark Bright and Adam came out. He’s a really down-to-earth lad, really, really lovely kid. It was a joy to speak to him and just listen to him and he just wants to be the best that he can.

“He's got a great attitude. If anyone was to ask me, what do you think of Adam Wharton, I'd say great attitude. He wants to be successful. He's got all the ingredients there for being a top player.”

That is exactly the type of character Liverpool and City look for at the heart of their teams. But Houghton also issued a warning for Palace.

“At the minute, the only worry with Palace is they can't keep selling players. [Marc] Guehi went and now [Maxence] Lacroix's gone and they're moving players around. To have any modicum of success, you can't keep doing that. You look at what they've won, three trophies they've been involved in. One thing you don't want to do is keep changing players.”

Palace signed Wharton from Blackburn for just £18m ($25m). That fee now looks like one of the bargains of recent windows. Any sale would be at least four times that figure, with the total package for such a prized asset expected to push towards, and potentially beyond, nine figures.

Former Palace striker Clinton Morrison has already laid out the scale of the numbers involved when speaking to GOAL about what it would take to drag Wharton away from south London.

“Yeah, £60m, £70m - if someone wants to pay £80m, I think they’d bite your hand off. But yeah, definitely at least £60-70 million.

“If you look at how young he is and the talent he’s got, and the clubs that will be knocking on the door for him, then Palace are right to say £60-70 million. It’s good money for another player they’ve developed. He’s a top player.

“But yeah, he’s got all the attributes and there will come a time where he needs to go to one of the top four or five teams, or maybe go and play in Europe, because you need to keep improving yourself as a player.”

That is the crossroads looming into view. Houghton is convinced that, if Liverpool come calling, the pull will be powerful.

“If a club like Liverpool comes knocking for you, you're going to be tempted, aren't you? Simple as that if you're Adam Wharton. It's just whether he's the right fit for the manager and that's what it'll come down to. At the moment, I still think Liverpool need a few additions before they really get going.”

City’s need is clear after Rodri’s departure. Liverpool’s rebuild is still being pieced together. Palace, meanwhile, are trying to hold their project together while Europe’s heavyweights eye their latest success story.

At some point, Wharton will have to decide where the next step of his rise should be taken – at a club fighting to keep its core, or at one already built to chase the biggest prizes every season.